In the poem Dante’s Inferno, a case is made that hell is locked from the inside. As he struggles with the sin of lust and pride, he looks to find a way out but understands he is keeping himself there.
In a conversation between two people who hadn’t seen each other for a while, one person said, “You changed.” The other person responded, “We’re supposed to.”
We are all planted somewhere. Maybe we have been somewhere for a long time, and our roots extend deep and wide. Maybe we just arrived, and our roots are shallow. Regardless of time, the fruitfulness of our branches will be determined by what our roots are feeding from.
If we aren’t clean enough to be in our own houses, are we clean enough to be in the house of God? Are we clean enough to be anywhere near the presence of God? How clean do we have to be exactly?
There are so many voices and intentions fighting for our time and a place in our hearts. Good and bad don’t always make themselves clear when it comes to deciding what to do with our days. Wickedness, evil, and injustice don’t always jump up and down, waving their arms, letting you know just who they are.
Jesus’s example encourages us to boldly speak words of power over ourselves. What words of power belong to you?
With so many weddings ending in divorce, what good can we still learn from a marriage? Is there any value to our vows or strength in our unions?
I have heard it said, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Anyone who has watched a child grow knows this to be true. Yet we all have the tendency to want to rush it all by.
In 2nd Timothy, chapter 1, verses 3-10, you can feel Paul nudging Timothy to remember all the light and all the people God has placed in his life. Paul then encourages him to move forward with purpose and confidence. I really like the way the SUMC family moved in 2021, and I like the idea that we can “fan into flame” the energy we share. Paul is telling Timothy that we are part of a story that pre-dates creation and has no end, but you have a blank page in front of you. What will you do with it?
The Shepherds heard it first, and even after returning home, back to their duties, back to their responsibilities, even when no one was there to hear but the sheep, they continued to sing about God’s goodness through Jesus Christ.
This Sunday will feature our music programs as Leap of Faith presents a Christmas concert in the contemporary service and the Chancel Choir performs a cantata in the traditional service. Join us as we praise the Lord in song!
Put on the breaks!! It’s ok to stop and turn around and head in the other direction. It is ok to change your mind.
Gabriel is known to be an angel of great importance. Gabriel shows up a couple of times throughout the biblical narrative of heaven’s interactions with humanity. When Gabriel appears to Mary, we understand this to be a sign of great hope. Because of the message Gabriel brings, we understand that, like Mary, we are capable of important things. Even if we don’t always see it in ourselves, there are others who are sent to remind us of this truth.
John the Baptist is a faithful man who spent his life devoted to preparing people’s hearts for Jesus. However, his story begins with the angel Gabriel preparing the heart of Zechariah, John’s father. What the angel teaches in this story is how to tame our tongue till there is something worthy of it being set loose for.
We never see the exact phrase, “Jesus laughed,” but one could hardly refer to the faith of children without laughter. One could not sit around a table with a few rough people without being graced by a joke.
We like it when we hear Jesus got angry. Truthfully, it makes us feel better about ourselves. Anger drives a lot of our lives and also drives a lot of people out of our lives. Anger can be good, but the reason matters. Jesus’s anger wasn’t a self-righteous anger. It was a righteous one.
In his depth of love for us, Jesus cries. In his anger over our lack of understanding, Jesus cries. In his compassion over our pain, Jesus cries.
It seemed like everywhere Jesus went, he was taking up a lot of space. Crowds followed him in the streets, stood outside of homes, and even busted through ceilings just to be near to him. But the only real estate that he was and still is interested in is our hearts!
Jesus was a bit of a rule breaker. He helped others to read beyond the words that were written and into the heart of the matter.
Jesus had a knowledge that we did not possess. Yet Jesus still learned and was educated on the knowledge that was available to us. Having not just a superior wisdom, but a common knowledge shared by others, gave Jesus the ability to teach and help others understand what is truly important.